Nats to name Rizzo GM on Thursday  —  Announcement expected to be made at news conference  —  WASHINGTON — The Nationals will officially promote Mike Rizzo to general manager at a news conference on Thursday at Nationals Park, according to a baseball source, who said the Nationals …

Dodgers' West lead whittled after loss  —  Finale defeat to Cards leaves LA with 3 1/2-game edge  —  LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers' slide resumed Wednesday night, and not just because Clayton Kershaw couldn't get out of the fourth inning or Jonathan Broxton gave it up again in the ninth …

Source: Mets looking to unload Wagner  —  If Billy Wagner's return to New York this weekend is nothing more than a glorified audition, the Mets are already pushing the paperwork that will enable them to trade him.  —  According to a major league source, the Mets placed Wagner on trade waivers Wednesday.

Wagner Activated, Hernandez Released  —  The Mets have activated Billy Wagner from the 60 day disabled list.  —  To make room for Wagner, the Mets have released Livan Hernandez.  —  Hernandez was 7-8 with a 5.47 ERA for the Mets in 2009, but posted a 7.33 ERA in July and an 11.30 ERA in August.

Jerry Remy returns tomorrow  —  A familiar voice will be in a familiar place when the Yankees come to Fenway Park [map] tomorrow.  —  Beloved broadcaster Jerry Remy, sidelined since May while dealing with the effects of cancer treatments and depression, will make his return to the NESN booth for tomorrow night's game.

Prior once as highly touted as Strasburg  —  Former top pitching prospect working way back to Majors  —  Mark Prior has never met Stephen Strasburg, but there is no one on the planet who has a better idea of what the highly publicized pitcher for the Washington Nationals is now facing.

Steinbrenner High School set to open  —  NEW YORK — What school would have a course entitled BOSS?  None other than Steinbrenner High School, where opening day is Tuesday in Lutz, Fla., near the home of Yankees patriarch George Steinbrenner.  —  The $60 million structure in Hillsborough County …

Yankees spell out Joba plan  —  OAKLAND, Calif. - Joba Chamberlain shed some light on the Yankees' plan for him, saying yesterday he is scheduled to start six more games this season.  —  The 23-year-old right-hander asked pitching coach Dave Eiland and manager Joe Girardi for clarification of how he would be used.

AMAZIN' BRASS NEEDS TO OWN UP TO PROBLEMS  —  THE remarkable part, if you think about it, isn't that 38,602 of you bought tickets for last night's grisly slaughterhouse special at Citi Field, or that a good 30,000 of you actually made your way through the turnstiles, or that there were still 25,000 …

Fans' turn to pick Aaron Award nominees  —  Voting under way to choose club selections for hitting honor  —  In 1999, the Hank Aaron Award was introduced by Major League Baseball to honor the 25th anniversary of its namesake hitting his 715th home run and passing the immortal Babe Ruth …

Francoeur in Mets' conversation for next season  —  So Daniel Murphy led off the bottom of the sixth with a triple, in this utterly meaningless contest at Citi Field, and up came Jeff Francoeur.  Just a few hours earlier, he smiled as he told me of his “fresh start” and “rejuvenating” …

Broxton charged with kidnapping Lindbergh baby  —  Jonathan Broxton against St. Louis this week: three games, 13 batters, one single, two walks, one stolen base, five strikeouts, no earned runs, no inherited runners scoring.  And, somehow, the anger of thousands upon thousands of Dodgers fans.

Jeter's future a hot topic - except for him, that is  —  There has been plenty of speculation in recent years about where Derek Jeter will play once his days as a shortstop come to an end.  Based on the captain's latest words, I don't expect that day to come for quite some time.

Bellmore's Lichtman shows his baseball knowledge through UZR  —  If he ever speaks again in front of a group  —  of major league coaches, Mitchel Lichtman said — “again,” as in, “He has done so previously,” — the statistical analyst has a new icebreaker.

Rumblings and Grumblings: Dangerous closer issues among contenders  —  Several contenders are heading down the stretch with unreliable closer situations  —  It isn't necessarily true that to win a World Series you need a dominant closer.  —  What is necessarily true, though …

Marlins cautious with N. Johnson injury  —  First baseman takes grounders, holds off on swinging bat  —  HOUSTON — Getting Nick Johnson back into action is a step-by-step process.  —  Resting a strained right hamstring, the Marlins first baseman did some light workouts in pregame warmups Wednesday at Minute Maid Park.